Addressing fuel poverty with collaboration and adaptive learning
A blog by Ross Brooks, General Manager of Citizens Advice Hartlepool
Before arriving at the Roundtable event, I knew it wouldn’t be just another obligatory rehashing of the problems disadvantaged communities face. The list of attendees and the fact that the event was organised by the British Gas Energy Trust (the Trust) made that clear.
Having the opportunity to listen to the diverse perspectives, experiences, challenges, and key findings from highly committed individuals from various organisations united in tackling the impact of fuel poverty is crucial for any organisation involved in this effort. Why? Well, in the words of the late Larry King, “Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I must learn, I must do so by listening.”
The empirical evidence each attendee provided to the group relating to fuel poverty and its impact didn’t make for pleasant listening and delineated a stark framework of the organisational challenges we all face. The findings from each organisation are challenging; where you grow up matters, lack of social mobility matters, and vulnerabilities such as poor health matters even more when it comes to the impact fuel poverty has.
The recurring themes highlighted throughout the meeting came as no surprise to anyone; the problems individuals face are increasingly complex. It is rare for clients to present with single issues that can be resolved with quick fixes in this climate; invariably the presenting issue is not the real problem. There can also be additional constraints in their ability to increase financial resilience, such as poor health, location, language, and accessibility to support.
Fuel poverty is not a simple cause-and-effect scenario. Many attendees recognised that much of the support provided was akin to applying a ‘band-aid’ to a problem that required a surgical procedure. Despite everyone’s clear frustration at the persistent nature of fuel poverty and its impact, the atmosphere was dynamic and solution focused.
When discussing the type of support that has been or would be most effective in dealing with fuel poverty, there was a general consensus on the following points:
- An integrated and structured support model that leverages different specialist teams is vital when dealing with complex issues.
- Key problems should never be treated in isolation to mitigate the effects of poverty and maximise the opportunity for multiple positive outcomes.
- Collaboration between organisations is needed to embed trusted and seamless referral pathways that can be applied quickly.
- Use of technology in innovative ways to enhance upstream interventions, digital inclusion, income maximisation, and targeted support.
- Behavioural change and budgeting support is only realistic once crisis issues such as negative disposable income and debt have been removed from the equation.
- Increased investment by the energy sector in energy efficiency, especially in private properties.
- Removal of standing charges from energy bills and implementation of social tariffs.
- Meaningful change will require evidence-based decision making and the sustained involvement of policymakers at both Government and Local Authority levels, energy companies, independent funders such as the Trust, and advice/support agencies.
From a personal perspective, working at an advice agency in one of the country’s most deprived areas, with unenviable IMD ratings, the extent of fuel poverty and its impact is truly alarming. The Supporting Communities at Risk Programme (SCARP) has provided mission-critical funding from the Trust for us to tackle this problem at a local level. Having this kind of collaborative support from the Trust has significantly increased our organisational resilience and effectiveness.
The overarching conclusion reached at the Roundtable event is that if fuel poverty is to be realistically eliminated, there must be collaboration and adaptive learning at every level, from the high echelons of government to frontline advisers at the ‘coal face’.
To read more about the Trusts roundtables, please click here.